Padlock



Dec.v 30, 1924.

. 1,520,975 G. H. STERLING PADLOCK Filed March 26, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. H. STERLING PADLocx Filed March 26, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec.. 3U, vlQiZil.

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apaiiqation' sie@ Marches, 1923. serial iva-s216571 To all 1li/10m t may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE H. STERLING,

a. citizen of the United States, residing 'atV Minneapolis, in theconnty ofHennep'in' and State or liinnesota, have invented certain I new and useful linproveinentsin Padlocks;

and I do heneby declare the following to be a full, clear, and "exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

This invention relates to a lock and particularly to a type of lock similar to the well known padlock'type. Y p It is an objectof this invention to provide a lock of extremely simple form having a bow or locking member forming a substantially closed ligure but having an open space between the ends thereof. f

vIt is afurther object of lthe invention to provide suoli a loc-k which,'with the exception of the bow or locking member, is formed of a sheet of plate-material. y It is still another object of the invention to provide a lock having simple and efficientV means therein requiring` a certain key formation, which means can be easily changed forvarious locks to require dillferent ,key formations.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a lock comprising a casing inone end of which the bow member kis rotatable, which casing has therein a resilient means disposed in the opening of the bow memberto lock the same against rotation, which resilient means is movable by a key to release said bow member.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth from the.. following description made in `connection with the accoinpaiiyi'ngv drawings in which like reference characters referto the same parts throughout the dillereiit views,

rand in which,

- Fig. l is a perspective view of the lock;

Fig. 2 isa planview thereof showing the casing in horizontal section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the lock taken on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 2,1shown on' an enlarged scale and showing the key in one position in the lock;

.Fig 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the key and key operating parts in different position; I l Y i l Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is av vertical section taken on line 646 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a verticalsection taken on line 7 7 of Fig. v4;

Ithe .the

iiaese of Fig. i, l Fig.-v 9 is a perspectveyew plie used; i l' .'Flg" loris a perspective View fflffanle member used inthe lock;

of the locking Fig. 8 isa vertical sectiontakeiron Fig. 11 is a perspective viewy showing'a i" plurality of plates` mounted member shown in Fig. 10; `y u Fig.` 12 is a" perspective view ofv a ,keystop plate used; v l

Figs. 13 tov 15 are viewsrin side eletrationY of the plate shown lin Fig. '9- showing differ` ent forms )of the same, a. portion A'ofthe plate being shown in section in Fig. 15;

in the frame Figs. V16 andl?v areviews in side elevation Y of the frame member shown infFigglQ, said views' showing different yarrangements of slots in said member; .Y .Y Fig. 18 is a perspectiveview of iakey used; u Y

key plate;

Fig. 2O is a perspective View showing` a,

modified form of the platesfshown in Fig. 11; Fig. 21 isa view infrontelevation showing a modified form of key'pla'te vand 1 Fig. 22 is a view inV side elevation of the partial assembly of the parts.

Referring to the dra-wings, the :lock com--` prises a casing'l having' a portionatI-one end 4of substantially.rectangular shape, which portionjhas projectingv in opposite directions therefrom curved arms"2,said Varms being' together with' greaty pressure and an 'exi ceedingly strong casing; is .thus made. The

Fig. l 19' is Va view in endelevationoithe 'Y ar'ins 2 vof the casing are formed to l'iiovid'ea vcurved passagev therethrough adapted to@ accommodate a bow orlocking member 5.-

The memberI 5 is formed to constitute sub-,fv

stantially a closed'lligure, the ends-of which,

however, are separated a short distance, thus Vforming a gap and in thel embodimentfof the invention illustrated, saidmember is shown of substantially circular. form and'of cylindrical cross section, although it is obvious that otherV forms 'of bow members may be` portionsextending to the other end ot theA casing 1 and being disposedin the gap be-V tween the ends of the member 5. A T-shaped plate 9 is provided and extends transversely across the casing` 1 ,l the member 8 having slots 10 through its sides through which the opposite upper 'andY lower arms oplate 9 extend. The member S is provided with pressed-in folds or projections 11 extending toward each other a short distance from the slot 10. It will be noted that the short side of the member 8 at the end thereof is slightly curved inwardly. The member is made with itsl curved'portion so that it has a tendency to center itself in the casing. A yoke member 12 formed of a rectangular plate bent into bail or U-shape form with` right angle bends is disposed in the casing 1, and has its end portion substantially in contact with the end portion of member 8 and disposed in the latter member. The side portions o the member 12, however, extend at the sides of the member 8 in contact with the sides of the casing. VThe end portion of the member 12 is provided with a key receiving opening 13 having horizontal slots at the opposite Ysides thereoand the side portions of the member 12 are provided with a plurality of spaced vertical slots '1to1' differen-t lengths. A plurality of plates 15 oit rectangular form provided with akey receiving openings 16 with horizontal slots eX- shown in Figs. 5 to 8. It will be noted that the sides .of the member 12 will be disposed 1n this wider portion and will extend above andv below the memberV 8 and will be pre-v vented from endwise movement in the. casing by ashouldered portion 1b thereof. T he member 12 is thus firmly held in position in the casing V`1-and furthermore cannot move past the shoulder'lb so as to come into contact with the member 5 or bind thereaoainst.

y s n n The member 121s yalso'iirmly held 1n transverse position so that the same cannot shift and bind against the member S. lV hen the lock is assembled the plates 15 will be held 1n position andV prevented from 'endwiso Thev movement by engagement with the sides of the casing 1. s y

A key Vmember 17 illustrated in Fig. 18 is used with the lock and this member is shown as provided with' a short narrow tongue 18 at oneend thereof and with a portion 19 adjacent the tongue of considerablelengtlrand is further provided inwardly from the portion 19 with a plurality oi' slots 2O forming short tongues or pio ject-ions therebetween. The lock is norn'ially in locking` position and the sides ot the memberS tend to assume the position shown in Figs. 3 and 9, in which position said sides have their end portions disposed between the ends. of the member so that said member cannot be rotated in the casing 2. To release thel member 5 and unlock the lock, the key 1l' is inserted through the key opening 7 and the openings lfland 16 inthe members 6, 12 and 15'. respectively. The key will be limited in this inserting movement by the front end of the portion 19 contacting with plate 9 and when the proper key is used, the slots 20 will be alined with the plates 15 and with the end portion of themember 12, The key can thus be turned inthe lock and when turned through ninety degrees, the portion 19 which is disposed between the projections 11 will torce said projections apart and 'with them the sides of the member 8 so that the end' portions or' these sides are moved out ot the gap in the member 5 and eut of alinement with said member, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. rlhere is now no resistance to the rotation of vthe member 5 and said Ymember can be rotated to bring `the gap therein outside of the casing 1 when the lock can be removed from the staple or other member engaged and disposed in the bolt 5.

In Figs. 13 to 15, different forms of the member 8 are shown in which the projec tions 11 are located at different distances from the slots 10 which receive the plate 9. It will thus he seen thatby merely changing the location ot the members 11, locks requin ing different keys will be formed. ln Figs. 1b and 17, the members 12 are illustrated in which the slots 14 are arranged in different positions longitudinallyoi: said member. It

ywill thus also lbe seen that by changing the location or' theseV slots, and hence,fthe location of the plates 15, `that locks v'requiring dili'erent keys will be formed since the slots in the key must aluf'ays aline with thev plates 15. Q Y Y Y In Fig. 22, the member S is shown with the projections 11 still farther removed from the plate 9 and said projections are so disposed that one or more of the plates 15 will be disposed between the projections and the plate By varying the position ot the projections 11 so 'that in different locks they will be engaged by ditl'erent portions of the key, the use of a master key Vtor the locks is prevented. It a master key isjmade with all of the tonges between the notches 2O eliminated, in suoli a lock as shown in Fig. 22, or in any lock where the projections 11 are not operated bythe portion 19, such a key would fail to opent-lie lock. It an attempt were made to make a master key with a long tongue or portion 19 thereon so as to reach the projections 11 and one orv more plates are disposed between the projections 11 and plate 9, then such key will not turn in the lock. By using one or inore'of the plates 15 therefore and varying the position of the projections 1 1 in relation to these plates locks requiring different .keys are torinedand it is impossible for anyone to construct a master key which will open all ot'said locks. Of course, it is possible -to construct a key which will open some one lock if vthe structure of the lock is known but such structure is not generally known to a person attempting'to open the lock without'the proper right to do so.

In Fig. 20, plates 21 are illustrated, which plates may be used instead ot the plates 15 and said plates have openings 22 therein for receiving the key, which openings, however,

- are in the form of quadrants of a circle and have the straight sides 23.` iVith these plates way and will stand in positionV normal to theV sides of the slots in the openings 16 when the lock is unlocked. j

In Fig. 21, a key plate 24; is shown haver ing therein a curved key slot 25 which willv require a key of similar shape.

From the above description it is seen thatapplicant has provided a veryQsimple and efficient' lock requiring an individual key.

The lock, as stated, is made of simple plate material and can be very easily and inexpensively produced. Attlie same time, the

` lock is exceedingly strong and can only be opened by having the proper key. By providing the plurality ot plates a great number of permutations in Vthe arrangement can be made so that an almost infinite number ot' locks requiring diHerent keys can be made with but small change in the parts.

It will, ot course, be understood that various changes may be made in tlie'forin,-de tails, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from .the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and set forth in the appended claims.V

triangulary member disposed in said portion.

adapted to lreceivekey plates,fthe opposite i sides ot'said portion of the casing being bent inwardly between the Asides of saidbail' to hold'the'said bail -in place and a bow member movable in saidvpassage. Y

, 2. In a 'lock casing having therethrough and a substantiallyrectangular lportion extending centrally Afrom vsaid arms, a key plate holder comprising'a strip bent substantially at right y'angles into Uf4 shape `disposedinsaid portion, the sides of 'diverging curved arms with a semicircular passage said portion being bent inwardly to'eXtend between the sides ot said holder to hold the samein position. f l 3. The structure set forth iii'claim 2, said rectangular portion having a shoulder con-1` ta-ctingV the ends otsaid holderv to prevent longitudinalA movement thereof.

4:. A lock comprising a casing having a key slot atone end, thereof, a locking meinber movable throughthe-other end thereof and having an openiiigtliereiii,'a frame in said casing, a plurality of spaced platessupported in said frame having key receiving slots therein and determining the keyfo'r? mation, a key stop plate and a resilientplate member bent into substantially triangular'j form having its sides portions adjacent their ends disposed in the opening otrsaid locking` member and lhaving key engaging projections whereby its sides may be, separated and moved out ot said opening' to re? lease said' locking member. j N

A lock'comprising a casing of substantially rectangular form having curved arms extending in opposite directions at yone end thereof, a passage through said arms and casing, a bow member 'forming a substantially closed figure but having spacedends resilientl plate'niember in said casing bent into substantially triangular form having its ends disposed between the ends ot said bow inen'iber and adapted to 'be separated by the turning inoveinent oft a key to move out ot said opening to -release said bowV a plurality jo't spaced plates in'saidyokef` member having. slots therein and determining` the form of key to be used.

"7. A lock comprising a casing having a" substantially rectangular chamber, a locking member having a .gap tliereinmovable vacross one end ot said chamber, a resilientl plate bent into substantially triangular toi-m with its closed side adjacent the front ofsaid chamber and its'end portions disdisposed inand rotatable in said passage, a tu.)

lia

iso

' an aperture in its base end portion adapted posed in said gap,a plate extending across said chamber adjacent the ends of said` re` silient plate to form a key stop, and a plurality of spaced 'plates extending across said y chamber having key receiving slots therein Y 8. rlfhe structure set Vforth in claim 7; andV a frame formed of a 'rectangular plate bentY into U-sl'iape-having slots tliereiiireceiving said plurality of spaced plates and holding vthe same in position.

9. A lock comprising a sheet metal casing having a straight sided portion and substantiall concentric arms diveroino from one Y t3 b fen-d thereof', said arms forming a curved passage for bow member and said portion forming a shouldered chamber adapted to receive a bow engaging member and a key Jlate receivinfY member said casino beine*- l c i b si formed of two sections divided along the central plane of said curved passageand provided with outwardly extending flanges at the inner an-d outer sides of said arms,y

theflanges on one of said Sections being wider than and folded over the fianges of the other section into substantially parallel relation thereto whereby the bow-engaging member and key plate receiving member are retained in said casing.`

10. A lock comprising a casing having a curved portion with a curved passage therethrough and a portion projecting there from, a bow member forming a substantially closed figure but with spaced ends movable in said passage, a resilient plate disposed in said last mentionedy portion bent into substantially triangular form with its sides converging and having their end portionsdisposed between the ends of said bow member to prevent movement thereof and lock the same in position, said plate having to receive a key extending longitudinally between said side portions to engage said side portions and move the same out of alinement with said bow member and means extending transversely of said plate through which the key passes.

1l. The structure set forth in claim' 10, the sides of said plate having inwardly extending projections adapted to rbe engaged by the key to separate said side portions whereby by varying'the location of said projections locks requiring different keys may be formed and the use of a master key prevented.

l2. The structure set forth inrclaim l0, and an open-sided rectangular frame of plate material having its end extending across the end of said first mentioned plate and its side portions extending along the sidevportionsY of said first mentioned plate and substantially normal thereto, said casing having recesses therein in which the side portions of said rectangular member fit to prevent longitudinal movement thereof. f

1S. A' lock comprising a casing having curved arms with a curved passage therethrough, a bow having an open portion slidable in said passage, said casing having a substantially s triangular 1 member therein with its'base at the outer end of saidY casing and its free ends adapted to be disposed in said passage or to be moved lto'each side of the same7 the base of said triangular member being curved inwardly. is

l-i. 'In a lock, a sheet metal casing and a key plate member therein, of a three-sided rectangular formation, the walls of'said casing being bent inwardly between the sides ofA said member and inwardly at the ends thereof to hold said member in place.

l5. ina lock, a casing comprising a substantially rectangular portion having an outer. end with an aperture. therein and curved'diverging arms extending from its other end,` a key plate havingv a key slot therein and formed with a portion disposed in said aperture and also formed with a flangeA extending about the inner side of said aperture.

ln testimony' whereof I affix my ysignature.

f Y esoneri H. Sramana'. 

